Some electronic communication systems allow users to create or join a virtual community, as well as to engage in virtual social network services. For example, some Internet web-sites (e.g., “MySpace.com” or “Facebook.com”) provide a collection of various ways for users to interact. User interactions include, for example, online chat activities, instant messaging, sharing of photographs and videos, file sharing, writing into a “blog” system or reading from a “blog” system, or the like.
Some systems allow a user to import or reuse his contact list or electronic mail (email) address book, and to utilize such contacts or email addresses for creation of a virtual social network. This mechanism allows the user to create a virtual social network which includes persons that the user already knows, but may not allow the user to create a virtual social network with persons that the user does not yet know.